Conventional manual transmissions and associated shift mechanisms generally permit an operator of the vehicle to shift from second gear to first gear when it is desired or appropriate to shift from second gear to third gear. Similarly, these manual transmissions and associated shift mechanisms also permit the vehicle operator to downshift from fourth gear to first gear when it is desired or appropriate to downshift to third gear. Either of these shift scenarios can dramatically increase the clutch disk speed leading to a shorter life cycle and/or a clutch burst condition. In some manual transmissions, attempts have been made to incorporate inhibitor arrangements into or onto the manual transmission that block movement of a shift finger in the guide plate housed within the manual transmission. While these inhibitor arrangements may work for their intended purpose, they are difficult to package within or onto the transmission housing due to packaging constraints associated with vehicle powertrains thereby adding cost and complexity to the design and manufacturing of the manual transmission. Thus, there remains a need for improvement in the relevant art.